How to be Fit Without Exercising

I have noticed that there are some people who love the gym. They enjoy working out indoors with machines and other people. They like counting weight or reps or time. Maybe they like some of the classes that are offered at their gym. While I can see that there could be an appeal to some of that, I personally would 100% rather be outside doing something fun than inside, painfully aware of how many minutes are left until I’ve fulfilled my treadmill commitment. Working out at a gym for a large portion of the population feels like WORK. Unpleasant work.

So how can you avoid the gym and still have a strong healthy active body? Learn how to play again.

While I could never bear the torture of spending even an hour doing an incline on a treadmill at the gym, I will joyously spend the better part of the day hiking a mountain trail that gains several thousand feet of elevation, WHILE carrying a heavy backpack, and not for one minute will I wish that I was anywhere else.

You won’t catch me on the rowing machine at the gym but an afternoon kayaking upstream on a sparking lazy river with good friends? I wouldn’t even notice the time passing. And at the end of the day when you’re contentedly falling asleep with arms so sore you can hardly lift them, the workout will seem like an accidental side point to an amazing day.

If you hate the gym, find a sport that you love. I gravitate toward activities like trail running, rock climbing, backpacking, bicycling, and kayaking. If you like competition and team sports find a softball league or take up tennis. Even bowling will keep you moving. It really doesn’t matter as long as it’s something you love to do so much that you would do it even if it weren’t toning and strengthening your body. For some people, going to the gym might really be that fun for them. Whatever unleashes your inner child and beckons back to endless carefree summer play. Being active is important. The key to sticking with it is finding a way to be active that also feels like an indulgence.